[Amazon.ca] Thinkware FA200 Dash Cam + Rear Cam + WiFi + OEM MicroSD -- $189.99 (Reg: $239.99)

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Apr 15th, 2021 11:39 pm

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Feb 28th, 2021 10:53 am

redflagdealsguy [OP]: Deal Expert; Feb 24, 2018; 18481 posts; 21096 upvotes

Feb 28th, 2021 10:53 am

[Amazon.ca] Thinkware FA200 Dash Cam + Rear Cam + WiFi + OEM MicroSD -- $189.99 (Reg: $239.99)

Deal Link:: https://www.amazon.ca/THINKWARE-Bundle- ... amp;sr=1-4
Price:: 189.99
Retailer:: Amazon.ca

More offers from Amazon.ca

https://www.amazon.ca/THINKWARE-Bundle- ... ems&sr=1-4

I'm kicking myself as my all-in cost for the front and rear cam separately was $220.

Anyways, prices are down for the combo set from $239.99 down to $189.99.

The Thinkware FA200 might seem spartan, but it's functional, rugged enough, and long lasting. I've said this a few times now, but it's a set-it-and-forget-it dash cam. The front and back cams and included microSD will live for years until the day you need them. I consider the lack of video screen a feature as I don't want to be reminded of the dashcam everytime I operate the vehicle. WiFi is there for a reason.

This maker tops the list along with one other maker, as one of the most reliable quality makers of dashcams on the market.

I'm biased as I own one, but you have my opinion now.

More Commentary

redflagdealsguy wrote: ↑ I was cautioned against pursuing fad makers. Even though they sometimes include more bells and whistles for the same price, the big risk with dash cams is this...

If they fail discretely, you may never know until it's too late, and you need to retrieve a recording that isn't there. A road incident can be far more costly than the loss of some throwaway feature when choosing a reliable maker.

I went with perhaps the best regarded maker, because the job is mission critical.

My two cents.

Update: Replaced with official Thinkware Amazon seller.

Last edited by redflagdealsguy on Feb 28th, 2021 12:20 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Thread Summary

Check out RFD Reviews' top picks for the best dash cams for more options!

62 replies

Feb 28th, 2021 10:56 am

findmesumdealz: Sr. Member; Jul 26, 2013; 611 posts; 535 upvotes; CALGARY

Feb 28th, 2021 10:56 am

I'd highly recommend looking into a Viofo dashcam at around this price point as the night vision is going to be far superior and the rear channel camera likely higher resolution also

+5

Feb 28th, 2021 11:02 am

Masterden2016: Newbie; Nov 8, 2017; 90 posts; 22 upvotes; Kitchener

Feb 28th, 2021 11:02 am

findmesumdealz wrote: ↑ I'd highly recommend looking into a Viofo dashcam at around this price point as the night vision is going to be far superior and the rear channel camera likely higher resolution also

Which one?

Feb 28th, 2021 11:03 am

n-ster: Deal Addict; Apr 18, 2010; 1661 posts; 650 upvotes; Montreal

Feb 28th, 2021 11:03 am

Thinkware Dashcams are in a good spot IMO, and under 200$ is all you really need. Be careful, if you have a weak or old battery though, you might want to replace or even upgrade your battery a bit earlier than you planned. Viofo is best value since a while, but I'm less convinced of their reliability after a couple years

Feb 28th, 2021 11:29 am

fatestkid: Deal Addict; Mar 21, 2010; 4963 posts; 4057 upvotes; Edmonton

Feb 28th, 2021 11:29 am

How is the wifi connection on this one? I've heard that some of the wifi dashcams with no screens are horrible in use because the wifi/app connectivity is spotty at best.

Be a nice person and enjoy life

My feedback: Heatware Redflagdeals

Feb 28th, 2021 11:37 am

redflagdealsguy [OP]: Deal Expert; Feb 24, 2018; 18481 posts; 21096 upvotes

Feb 28th, 2021 11:37 am

fatestkid wrote: ↑ How is the wifi connection on this one? I've heard that some of the wifi dashcams with no screens are horrible in use because the wifi/app connectivity is spotty at best.

This isn't one of them. WiFi works fine, it's designed to be functional, not luxurious, but I had no issues.

n-ster wrote: ↑ Thinkware Dashcams are in a good spot IMO, and under 200$ is all you really need. Be careful, if you have a weak or old battery though, you might want to replace or even upgrade your battery a bit earlier than you planned. Viofo is best value since a while, but I'm less convinced of their reliability after a couple years

I was cautioned against pursuing fad makers. Even though they sometimes include more bells and whistles for the same price, the big risk with dash cams is this...

If they fail discretely, you may never know until it's too late, and you need to retrieve a recording that isn't there. A road incident can be far more costly than the loss of some throwaway feature when choosing a reliable maker.

I went with perhaps the best regarded maker, because the job is mission critical.

My two cents.

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+4

Feb 28th, 2021 11:45 am

doberman_baby: Deal Addict; Nov 12, 2006; 1821 posts; 404 upvotes

Feb 28th, 2021 11:45 am

Have this in one of my cars since 2018. Paid about $190 plus tax with 32GB ThinkWare mem card and 2 fuse taps.
It's still going and you will not notice it as its being the rear view mirror and no screen.
The WiFi works great for downloading the videos without taking the card out.

Also have a 770 in another vehicle from 2017. Again still going and no issues at all.

+3

Feb 28th, 2021 11:45 am

wally_walrus: Deal Addict; Oct 19, 2007; 1325 posts; 319 upvotes; 45.467253°N, 75.5123…

Feb 28th, 2021 11:45 am

I don't own this particular model, but I just wanted to add that Thinkware is a decent company to deal with. I purchased my Q800Pro back in April 2020 and few months later it started rebooting on its own. Contacted them and after few troubleshooting steps it was determined they needed to replace. They initially wanted to send me a refurbished unit, but I pushed back and they agreed to send a brand new replacement

Fast forward and I found the replacement had a similar issue (only worse), and started the troubleshooting process this time with the help of a guy on the dashcamtalk forums. He was initially reluctant to accept that a brand new replacement camera had an issue and tried to point to a wiring fault, but I was able to convince him otherwise. So they agreed to replace it again (and with a brand new unit again) and even agreed to send the replacement before I shipped the defective unit back

Finally I have it working properly now, but it took some elbow grease... Try that with Viofo, although I hear they're pretty helpful in the forums

+3

Feb 28th, 2021 11:48 am

wally_walrus: Deal Addict; Oct 19, 2007; 1325 posts; 319 upvotes; 45.467253°N, 75.5123…

Feb 28th, 2021 11:48 am

redflagdealsguy wrote: ↑ This isn't one of them. WiFi works fine, it's designed to be functional, not luxurious, but I had no issues.

I was cautioned against pursuing fad makers. Even though they sometimes include more bells and whistles for the same price, the big risk with dash cams is this...

If they fail discretely, you may never know until it's too late, and you need to retrieve a recording that isn't there. A road incident can be far more costly than the loss of some throwaway feature when choosing a reliable maker.

I went with perhaps the best regarded maker, because the job is mission critical.

My two cents.

Also wanted to add that Thinkware has one of the best (if not the best) parking mode which is what pushed me to buy from them

+5

Feb 28th, 2021 11:55 am

Alceister: Jr. Member; Feb 22, 2011; 160 posts; 108 upvotes; Richmond Hill

Feb 28th, 2021 11:55 am

Not the best recent offer. Around November, you could get this with the GPS antenna at Best Buy for 179.99.

+6

Feb 28th, 2021 12:03 pm

hartzfizzo: Sr. Member; Sep 23, 2013; 533 posts; 545 upvotes; Vancouver, BC

Feb 28th, 2021 12:03 pm

Price match at Visions to get it down to $179.20. This amazon link is sold through Blackboxmycar, a brick and mortar store in Richmond, BC who is one of the biggest dashcam stores in Canada, if not THE biggest. They list it on their site at the same price. So if the Vision salesmanager tries to find any loophole in the price match policy, they have no case.

+1

Feb 28th, 2021 12:13 pm

AncasterRFD: Deal Guru; Jun 15, 2012; 14225 posts; 8015 upvotes; Southern Ontario

Feb 28th, 2021 12:13 pm

I'm open to upgrading our 2nd vehicle's old dashcam with any brand/model. I like the reliability aspect here but comments on this?...

https://dashboardcamerareviews.com/thinkware-fa200/

Our main issue with the Thinkware F200 and FA200 is their video quality. Their overall video quality is only mediocre. The forward camera records a slightly better video feed at 1080p than the rear camera, which supports only 720p.

However, for both cameras, it’s hard to read any license plates of other cars, even those recorded in bright daylight. At night, front video quality is such that it’s difficult to read the registration number of a car stopped directly ahead of us at a traffic light. The rear video feed at night is outright poor, with lots of glare from the headlights of the cars behind us.

What good is it to have lots of options for parking mode, if you can’t read the other cars’ license plates?

And do the SanDisk High Endurance cards have issues with this model of Thinkware?

Feb 28th, 2021 12:17 pm

redflagdealsguy [OP]: Deal Expert; Feb 24, 2018; 18481 posts; 21096 upvotes

Feb 28th, 2021 12:17 pm

hartzfizzo wrote: ↑ Price match at Visions to get it down to $179.20. This amazon link is sold through Blackboxmycar, a brick and mortar store in Richmond, BC who is one of the biggest dashcam stores in Canada, if not THE biggest. They list it on their site at the same price. So if the Vision salesmanager tries to find any loophole in the price match policy, they have no case.

Thinkware is also an official reseller at the same price. I tried to link directly to them but couldn't, you can click the seller list to buy from them via prime.

Edit: Fixed.

https://www.amazon.ca/THINKWARE-Bundle- ... ems&sr=1-4

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+1

Feb 28th, 2021 12:25 pm

wally_walrus: Deal Addict; Oct 19, 2007; 1325 posts; 319 upvotes; 45.467253°N, 75.5123…

Feb 28th, 2021 12:25 pm

AncasterRFD wrote: ↑ I'm open to upgrading our 2nd vehicle's old dashcam with any brand/model. I like the reliability aspect here but comments on this?...

https://dashboardcamerareviews.com/thinkware-fa200/

And do the SanDisk High Endurance cards have issues with this model of Thinkware?

I had the F200 and agree that image quality isn't very good. I didn't try to read license plates, but due to its overall image quality I replaced it with a Q800Pro

Feb 28th, 2021 12:38 pm

redflagdealsguy [OP]: Deal Expert; Feb 24, 2018; 18481 posts; 21096 upvotes

Feb 28th, 2021 12:38 pm

AncasterRFD wrote: ↑ I'm open to upgrading our 2nd vehicle's old dashcam with any brand/model. I like the reliability aspect here but comments on this?...

https://dashboardcamerareviews.com/thinkware-fa200/

And do the SanDisk High Endurance cards have issues with this model of Thinkware?

Two things:
(1) I examined the camera work and it's suitable for dash cam purposes.
(2) Stay away from all third party microSD cards, this model includes an official Thinkware 16GB microSD. Stick with that, it'll provide up to a week's worth of video recording before rolling over.

Expanding on (1), most vehicle incidents involving the threat of greater fault/liability are front-facing. The front facing camera covers you well, and with reasonable fidelity. Rear-incidents are less often associated with greater fault/liability. With the advent of no-fault insurance, some of these issues are somewhat mitigated, but in clear cases where the counterparty erred, video backs up that claim and may protect you from further liability.

I spoke with an insurance agent about this, and he said pretty much any video is better than nothing. I've seen the front and back videos on this device and they're fine for their purpose, but we're so accustomed to the 4K HDR feeds in 2021 that we sometimes forget where we came from. Don't underestimate what 1080p/720p recordings will capture.

Reliability is way way more important than UHD recordings that may cut out or fail, when you really need them.

I say this as I type my response to you on a picture perfect LG 55" OLED C8 4K HDR TV-Monitor.

Last edited by redflagdealsguy on Feb 28th, 2021 12:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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+4

Feb 28th, 2021 12:40 pm

hartzfizzo: Sr. Member; Sep 23, 2013; 533 posts; 545 upvotes; Vancouver, BC

Feb 28th, 2021 12:40 pm

My 2 cents after owning this for about 2 weeks.

Its true that PQ isn't as good as the higher-end units, even the viofo a129. I researched all of the available models, so if this is your key deciding factor, this isn't for you.

I wanted something inconspicuous that I could leave in the truck 24/7. If it got stolen, I would only be out $200 instead of $1000. I also wanted something reliable, for which Thinkware is at the top. These were my two pillars.

Video quality is fine for when parked outdoors at mall parking lots and on the street in the daytime. No issues with license plates in these cases. Night time is a different story, however I park in my garage at night and my partying days are long behind me so this isn't as important to me as it is to others.

Other notes: the SanDisk high endurance card I purchased doesn't work on this. I have mentioned this in a couple RFD threads and it seems to be Thinkware compatibility issue, though I'm happy to be proven otherwise. I have just purchased a Samsung pro endurance card to try on it. If it too is incompatible, I will return it and report back. 2nd note is that 3m adhesive they use is seriously military grade. I had to the take the mount off my old car and it was damn near impossible. My next dashcam will have to be compatible with this fa200 mount because I really don't want to have to go through that again.

@AncasterRD u are an RFD OG and I wanna thank u for all the photo guidance u have given this community. I dont know what cam ur currently rocking, but i dont know if this cam would be considered an upgrade. It was for me having gone from a single channel to a dual. At the end of the day, I have no regrets.

+5

Feb 28th, 2021 12:53 pm

Kevin711: Sr. Member; Jan 7, 2006; 573 posts; 294 upvotes; Toronto

Feb 28th, 2021 12:53 pm

hartzfizzo wrote: ↑
Other notes: the SanDisk high endurance card I purchased doesn't work on this. I have mentioned this in a couple RFD threads and it seems to be Thinkware compatibility issue, though I'm happy to be proven otherwise. I have just purchased a Samsung pro endurance card to try on it. If it too is incompatible, I will return it and report back. 2nd note is that 3m adhesive they use is seriously military grade. I had to the take the mount off my old car and it was damn near impossible. My next dashcam will have to be compatible with this fa200 mount because I really don't want to have to go through that again.

I haven't been following dashcam posts, but just noting I have a Thinkware f70 with parking mode enabled and I've had 1 Sandisk High Endurance card fail in it after 6 months and the replacement needed to be taken out and reformatted after another 4-5 months (formatting on the f70 didn't work).

I may get a different SD card now that it seems the Sandisk card is the issue. Thanks for sharing!

Feb 28th, 2021 1:27 pm

ES_Revenge: Deal Expert; Mar 23, 2004; 28816 posts; 9316 upvotes

Feb 28th, 2021 1:27 pm

About a year after the BBMC debacle, I'm almost ready to dip my toes back into getting a dashcam. However I'd really like something that can do 4K/30 or 1440p/60 front and 1080p rear at a minimum, and work well in low light.

Obviously this is not the ticket, but what else is out there? Do I wait for another deal on, and buy Viofo, just from another seller? Or, is there something else now that's better bang for the buck and meets the above criteria?

Feb 28th, 2021 1:29 pm

AncasterRFD: Deal Guru; Jun 15, 2012; 14225 posts; 8015 upvotes; Southern Ontario

Feb 28th, 2021 1:29 pm

hartzfizzo wrote: ↑ ...I dont know what cam ur currently rocking, but i dont know if this cam would be considered an upgrade. It was for me having gone from a single channel to a dual. At the end of the day, I have no regrets.

Thanks! I just installed a $200 Viofo4K Pro Duo, 18month warranty, recommended on daschcamtalk, replacing a 3y+ A119V2 which has gone into the 2nd vehicle but I'm thinking of getting a proper dual channel in the 2nd. This seems like a decent deal instead of waiting for another Lightning Deal on the 4K (I also used a GC on the 1st purchase to get it that low). I like the reliability aspect of the Thinkware although I've never had an issue before off loading my working old ones to the used market, and my old Viofo lasting this long.

Feb 28th, 2021 1:34 pm

Ludepower: Jr. Member; Feb 24, 2017; 165 posts; 97 upvotes

Feb 28th, 2021 1:34 pm

Happy with this dashcam. Its small and stealthy. Wifi is a must to retrieve video to your phone.

Picture quality is average and transfer speed to retrieve video is slow.

For the price and the thinkware reputation...Im satisfied. This gave me a good starting point to understanding dashcams. I will spend more on my next one.

+1

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